Nelvana partners with Polygon Pictures to create Japanese content for children

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana has entered a development deal with Polygon Pictures to deliver stand out Japanese originated animated content for children. “Over the past 10 plus years, Doug Murphy, President and CEO of Corus Entertainment, Colin, and I have had many impassioned discussions about how we can synergise our strengths, to create global hits out of properties originating from Japan” said Shuzo Shiota, President of Polygon Pictures. “With the help of Rika, I believe the time is finally ripe to achieve this goal. I am beyond excited at the prospect of what this partnership will bring.”

The new development collaboration is intended to leverage Polygon’s presence in the Japanese market. Nelvana's partnerships will expand access to Japanese animated properties, such as "Bakugan™," "Beyblade," and "Cardcaptor Sakura," to global audiences. The collaboration will focus on Japanese properties aimed at younger audiences, drawing inspiration from both existing legacy content and creating new perspectives such as lifestyle, publishing, and design.

Nelvana and Polygon will work alongside veteran animation expert Rika Sasaki to carry out the project. Sasaki has ample experience managing Japanese IP for global export from her previous roles at d-rights Inc., ADK Emotion and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions.

“Nelvana has enjoyed tremendous success over the years working with several notable Japanese content companies on such brands as Bakugan™, Beyblade, and Cardcaptor Sakura, and we are excited to team up with Polygon Pictures to uncover the next big global hit” said Colin Bohm, EVP Content and Corporate Strategy, Corus Entertainment. “We’ve long admired Polygon Pictures, a truly innovative and creative studio, and we couldn’t be happier to be working together.”